Human Sexuality
Fr. Fausto Gomez Belerna, O.P. is our professor in this Subject
I have presented the research on “Contraception”
Contraception
Introduction
In our contemporary times, contraception or birth control has become a controversial issue. It seems to be a common practice in the married couples or even in the adolescents. It is very interesting for us to find out that why the church is against the contraceptive use? What is Natural Family Planning (NFP)? And is NFP considered as a contraceptive method?
In this assay, I would like to present an overview of contraception from the facts of contraceptive use. Then I will give an overview of the etymology of the word “contraception”, a brief history of contraception, kinds of contraception, the magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church and the pastoral point of view in dealing with the people.
Some facts of contraceptive use
The Guttmacher Institute has recently researched on the facts of American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health[1]. The results are as following;
•The majority of sexually experienced teens (74% of females and 82% of males) used contraceptives the first time they had sex.
•The condom is the most common contraceptive method used at first intercourse; it was used by 66% of sexually experienced females and 71% of males.
•Nearly all sexually active females (98% in 2002) have used at least one method of birth control. The most common methods used are the condom (used at least once by 94%) and the pill (used at least once by 61%).
•Nearly one-quarter of teens that used contraceptives the last time they had sex combined two methods, primarily the condom and a hormonal method.
According to the Social Development Division of the United Nations, the information concerning the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)[2] in 2009 can be presented as following;
| Country | Population (thousands) | Total Fertility Rate | Contraceptive Use (percent) | Population in 2025 (thousands) |
| China | 1,345,751 | 1.8 | 90.2 | 1,453,140 |
| Hong Kong | 7,045 | 1.0 | 86.2 | 7,969 |
| Macau | 577 | 1.0 | - | 603 |
| Philippines | 92,263 | 3.0 | 48.9 | 117,270 |
| Thailand | 63,396 | 1.5 | 71.5 | 72,628 |
| Myanmar | 50,020 | 2.3 | 37.0 | 57,585 |
We might roughly say that from the number given above the percentage of the contraceptive use in the developed countries are higher. Although it is not said, in this report, that which kind of the contraceptive methods are mostly used, but we have the research from the Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy which reported that condom was the most used by the youth followed by the pills[3].
In Thailand, according to the research of the Ministry of the Public Health[4] has found that the numbers of the use of condom have been increasing after the campaign in 2007. It has also reported that about 93% of the prostitutes are using condom which will probably decrease the number of HIV/AIDS patients. Surprisingly, the ratio of the youth who are using condom and pills are reducing to the age of fourteen and there is also a possibility that at the age of thirteen they will likely have sexual experiences.
Etymology
The word contraception is derived from “contra” which means against or opposite and “conception” means the action of conceiving a child[5]. Therefore contraception refers to the acts that against conceiving a child. This is also known as “birth control”.
A brief history
The idea of birth control has appeared in the ancient history from the very first book of the scripture, Genesis. In chapter 38, we have the story of Tamar who is the ancestor of Jesus in the genealogy of Matthew. Apparently, in verses 4-10, we have Onan who is the second son of Judah. Practically his sexual relations with Tamar, the sister-in-law, will be the so called “Onanism”.
But since Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he went in to his brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother. (Gen 38:9)
There are also historic records of Egyptian women using a pessary[6] (a vaginal suppository) made of various acidic substances and lubricated with honey or oil, which may have been somewhat effective at killing sperm. It is important to note that the sperm cell was not discovered until Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope in the late 17th century, so barrier methods employed prior to that time could not know of the details of conception. Asian women may have used oiled paper as a cervical cap, and Europeans may have used beeswax for this purpose. The condom appeared sometime in the 17th century, initially made of a length of animal intestine. It was not particularly popular, nor as effective as modern latex condoms, but was employed both as a means of contraception and in the hopes of avoiding syphilis, which was greatly feared and devastating prior to the discovery of antibiotic drugs.
In Indian traditional medicine[7], uses of the neem tree were described in Ayurvedic medicine, by Sushruta and in the Rasarathasamucchaya, Sarangadhara, Bhavaprakasha and Bhisagya Ratnavali. Held traditionally to have antifertility effects, its leaves were demonstrated to reduce pregnancy rate and litter size in a test of male rats.
In nineteenth Century, the concept of birth control has been promoted to become an acceptable act. There are several methods of controlling the population. While the teachings of the Catholic Church are still against any kind of contraceptive acts which are artificial. The Church accepts only the natural method. Because the Church does not regard this method as a contraceptive mean at all.
Kinds of contraception
- The Pill
- Condom (Male and Female)
- Vasectomy
- Female sterilization
- The coil (intra-uterine device)
- Withdrawal method
- Persona and other variations of the rhythm method
- Contraceptive injection
- Skin patch
- The cap or diaphragm
The Pill (The combined oral contraceptive pill)[8]
The Pill is a tablet containing two female hormones – an estrogen and a progestogen. Various estrogens and progestogens are used in the many different types of Pill which are available. These two hormones will stop from ovulating (producing an egg) each month. And if a woman doesn’t ovulate, she won’t get pregnant. In addition, the hormones thicken the secretions round the cervix, making it more difficult for sperm to get through. Also, they make the lining of the womb thinner, so that it’s less receptive to an egg. They were first approved for contraceptive use in the United States in 1960, and are a very popular form of birth control.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Undesirable risk and side effect profile in some women -Not affordable for all women -Drug interactions | -High rate of efficacy -Relatively convenient -Multiple options available -Regulates menstrual cycle |
Condom
Condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV. It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner. Because condoms are waterproof, elastic, and durable, they are also used in a variety of secondary applications. These include collection of semen for use in infertility treatment as well as non-sexual uses such as creating waterproof microphones and protecting rifle barrels from clogging. They are made of polyurethane or latex.
Condoms have been used for at least 400 years. Since the nineteenth century, they have been one of the most popular methods of contraception in the world. While widely accepted in modern times, condoms have generated some controversy, primarily over what role they should play in sex education classes.
There are two kinds of condom, one is for male and the other one is for female. The female condom has a flexible ring at each end — one secures behind the pubic bone to hold the condom in place, while the other ring stays outside the vagina.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Must be readily available. -Can interrupt sex play. -Can break or leak. -Possible allergic reaction. -Decreased sensation for some people | -Prevents the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS. -Birth control for men. -Available without a prescription. -No hormonal side effects. -Use can be part of sex play. -Easy to use. -Does not affect future fertility. |
A vasectomy is considered a permanent method of birth control. A vasectomy prevents the release of sperm when a man ejaculates. During a vasectomy, the vas deferens from each testicle is clamped, cut, or otherwise sealed. This prevents sperm from mixing with the semen that is ejaculated from the penis. An egg cannot be fertilized when there are no sperm in the semen. The testicles continue to produce sperm, but the sperm are reabsorbed by the body. This also happens to sperm that are not ejaculated after a while, regardless of whether you have had a vasectomy. Because the tubes are blocked before the seminal vesicles and prostate, you still ejaculate about the same amount of fluid.
It usually takes several months after a vasectomy for all remaining sperm to be ejaculated or reabsorbed. A man must use another method of birth control until he has a semen sample tested and it shows a zero sperm count. Otherwise, there will be a high possibility of pregnant.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Does not protect against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. -Not immediately effective. -Requires minor surgery in a clinic. -Possible rejoining of the vas deferens. -May not be reversible. -Possible regret. | - Permanent birth control. -Allows sexual spontaneity. -Requires no daily attention. -Does not affect pleasure. -Not messy. -Less complicated than female sterilization. |
There are two types of Female Sterilization: Tubal Ligation, a one-time outpatient surgery to cut or tie the fallopian tubes, or placement of Essure, spring-like coils inserted into the fallopian tubes through the vagina. Tubal Ligation, commonly called “getting your tubes tied,” is a surgical sterilization technique for women. This procedure closes the fallopian tubes, and stops the egg from traveling to the uterus from the ovary. It also prevents sperm from reaching the fallopian tube to fertilize an egg. In a tubal ligation, fallopian tubes are cut, burned, or blocked with riVangs, bands or clips. The surgery is effective immediately. Tubal ligations are 99.5% effective as birth control. They do not protect against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
Women are fully able to enjoy sex after a tubal ligation. Usually, hormone levels and a woman's menstrual cycle are not noticeably changed by sterilization. Ovaries continue to release eggs, but they stop in the tubes and are reabsorbed by the body. Some women experience improved sexual pleasure because they are less worried about becoming pregnant.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Does not protect against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. -Requires surgery. -Has risks associated with surgery. -More complicated than male sterilization. -May not be reversible. -Possible regret. -Possibility of Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome | - Permanent birth control. -Immediately effective. -Allows sexual spontaneity. -Requires no daily attention. -Not messy. -Cost-effective in the long run. |
The coil (intra-uterine device)[10]
The coil (intra-uterine device)or intrauterine contraceptive device a mechanical device inserted into the uterine cavity for the purpose of contraception; these devices are made of metal, plastic, or other substances and come in various sizes and shapes. Their effectiveness is based on their alteration of the endometrium and consequent disruption of implantation; there is generally no effect on the menstrual cycle.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Recommended principally for women in monogamous relationships. -Can be expelled or become dislodged. -Not recommended for women with fibroids. | -Longevity -Low side effect profile -High initial cost, but low when averaged out over lifespan of device. |
It is also known as Coitus interruptus (withdrawal of the penis from the vagina prior to ejaculation) probably predates any other form of birth control. This is not a particularly reliable method of contraception, as few men have the self-control to correctly practice the method at every single act of sexual intercourse. Although it is commonly believed that pre-ejaculate fluid can cause pregnancy, modern research has shown that pre-ejaculate fluid does not contain viable sperm.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Does not protect against HIV/AIDS. -Nervousness and sexual interruption may lessen pleasure. -Requires male's ability to predict ejaculation and use self-control. -Less effective with less sexual experience. -Less effective than other methods of birth control. -Less effective if under the influence of alcohol or drugs. | -Free and always available -No side effects. -Does not alter the menstrual cycle. -Does not affect future fertility. -Can help partners be more aware of and learn about their sexual responsiveness. -More effective with better partner communication. -May be a more acceptable form of birth control for people with religious concerns about using other contraceptive tools. -More effective than using no birth control. |
Methods of identifying infertile days or Safe period to avoid pregnancy have been used for over a thousand years. Scientific knowledge gained during the past century has greatly increased the accuracy of these calendar based charts. Menstrual cycles have several days at the beginning that are infertile (pre-ovulatory infertility), a period of fertility, and then several days just before the next menstruation that are infertile (post-ovulatory infertility). The first day of bleeding is considered day one of the menstrual cycle. In this safe period calculator, days 1 to 7 and day 21 to rest of the cycle is calculated as safe for individuals with regular 26-30 days cycles. The ovulation time vary for each individual, and can occur at any time from 12th to 19th day of the cycle. Sperm can live up to 3 to 5 days in a woman’s reproductive tract, so it is possible to become pregnant if unprotected sex occurs few days before ovulation. The life span of the typical egg is relatively short, only around 24 hours. If fertilization does not occur within this time frame, the egg will die. Safe period for intercourse for not getting pregnant may be calculated from online safe period calculator.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Requires significant partner education, cooperation, and daily attention. -Relatively high failure rate. -Not ideal in per menopause years or for women with otherwise irregular cycles. | -Zero health risks or side effects. -Enhances body awareness and partner intimacy -Inexpensive |
This method contains a hormone called “progestogen”. It is a long-term method of contraception. It's injected into a muscle and the hormone is released very slowly into the body. There are two types of injection:
1.Depo-Provera provides contraceptive protection for three months (12 weeks).
2.Noristerate provides contraceptive protection for two months (eight weeks). Contraceptive
injections are more than 99 per cent effective. This means that using this method, fewer than one woman in 100 will get pregnant in a year. The hormone is injected into a muscle in your bottom. It's usually given during the first five days of a period when it provides immediate contraceptive protection. If given on any other day, an extra method of contraception must be used for seven days. The injection works by:
·stopping the ovaries releasing an egg each month
·stopping sperm reaching the egg by thickening the mucus from the cervix
·stopping the egg settling in the womb
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -The injection can cause irregular bleeding or longer periods. Some women find their periods stop completely, while others have frequent, light bleeding. Irregular bleeding can continue for some months after stopping the injections. -Some women experience side effects including weight increase, headaches, acne, breast tenderness, mood swings and bloating. -The injection cannot be removed from the body. If side effects occur, they'll last as long as the injection does and sometimes longer. -Your fertility and periods can take a while to get back to normal after stopping DepoProvera | - It's highly effective. -It doesn't interfere with sex. -The injection provides some protection against both cancer of the womb and pelvic inflammatory disease. -It can be used by women who are breastfeeding. -You don't have to think about contraception for as long as it works. |
Skin patch[12]
It is similar to a large Band Aid, that a woman places onto her skin to prevent pregnancy. The patch contains hormones that are released through the skin and into the bloodstream. It contains the same hormones, estrogen and progestin, which are found in commonly used birth control pills. Each patch is worn for a seven-day period for three weeks. The patch can be applied to four areas of the body: 1.abdomen; 2.upper outer arm; 3.torso (front of back); 4.buttocks. When it is replaced by the new one, it should not be stick on the same place.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -Risk of blood clots in the legs or lungs. -Less effective in women weighing more than 198 pounds -Irregular bleeding -Weight gain -Breast tenderness -Less protection than for birth control pills against ectopic pregnancy, if pregnancy occurs while using the patch (an ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube. Such pregnancies carry risks to the mother and must be terminated properly.) | -The patch serves as a visible reminder that you are using your birth control. (If a patch falls off -- you know to put another one on. It also tends to be a good reminder to change the patch at the right time.) -It provides a weekly birth control method that does not require daily maintenance, like the pill, or require insertion before intercourse, like a diaphragm or cervical cap. |
Diaphragm
A diaphragm is a dome shaped disc made of rubber that has a flexible body and rim. It is inserted into the vagina and covers the cervix to prevent sperm from entering the uterus. A spermicide is also put on the device for added protection.
Cervical Cap
A cervical cap is a thimble shaped flexible device that is made of latex and comparatively smaller than the diaphragm. It is also inserted into the vagina and sits securely on the cervix, blocking the entry of sperm. A spermicide put on the cervical cap acts as an additional measure to kill sperm.
| Disadvantages | Advantages |
| -May reduce spontaneity. -Requires fitting/ periodic refitting. -Some users experience allergies. -Some consider method to be messy. | -Few side effects. -Can be inserted up to six hours in advance. -Can be used for intercourse during menses to collect flow. |
To sum up, birth control methods can be classified in to four major groups. They are likewise hormonal methods, barrier methods, chemical methods and natural methods.
Hormonal methods: Works in one or more ways: by preventing females from ovulating (releasing eggs), by blocking the sperm from entering the cervix and by preventing the embryo from attaching to the lining of the cervix.
Barrier methods: Works by keeping the sperm from reaching the egg.
Chemical methods: Chemical birth controls create a reaction in the body that reduces the chance of fertilization (sperm connecting with the egg).
Natural Family Planning methods: Natural birth control is the method of avoiding sex when a female is most likely to get pregnant without any side effects.
Each of these birth control methods works different ways and most of the artificial birth control methods are associated with mild or serious health risks and side effects. Failure rate of birth control methods vary from method to method.
The teaching of the Catholic Church on Contraception
We now come to the Official Magisterial Pronouncement of the Church especially on Contraception. According to Peschke, the question of the lawfulness of the means of birth control had been taken up for a first time in the encyclical called Casti Connubii, literary means “of chaste wedlock”. It was promulgated by Pope Pius XI on December 31, 1930. This document responded to the surrender on contraception of the Anglican Lambeth Conference in 1930.
In Casti Connubii, the newly discovered method of Ogino-Knaus has been approved by the Church because it respects the laws inherent in nature. It also rejects on other methods as they are on conforming to the natural law. In summary, we might say that in his encyclical, Pope Pius XI tried to explain the nature of matrimony as it had stated in Arcanum Divinae Sapientiae (the deepest wisdom of God), by Pope Leo XIII in 1880. In Casti Connubii, the Pope has treated five related topics as such; 1)The nature of Matrimony 2)The benefits of matrimony 3) The errors which arise concerning matrimony 4) The vices which are the result of the errors 5) The remedies for the vices.
Consequently, the Second Vatican council promulgated the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world, Gaudium et Spes, 1965. It stresses on the purpose of marriage which aims at unity and procreation. It says:
“depend solely on sincere intentions or on and evaluation of motives. It must be determined by objective standards. These base on the nature of the human person and his acts, preserve the full sense of mutual self giving and human procreation in the context of true love” (GS 51)
The decisive importance for the moral evaluation of the means of birth control was the assertion of Humanae Vitae (Of human life), promulgated by Pope Paul VI on July 25, 1968. The Pope had removed the issue of contraception from discussion during the council, reserving it to himself, because he wanted to wait until the Pontifical Commission appointed by John XXIII and expanded by himself, finished its investigative work. On the basis of both the majority and minority reports, Paul VI made a decision which is communicated in this encyclical, the last he wrote during his pontificate. He does so attempting to incorporate the new personalist and phenomenological language while retaining the insights of the more traditional scholastic approach.
It re-affirms that any use whatsoever of marriage must be open to procreation (HV 11). This teaching is seen as “base on the inseparable connection, established by God,” between the double meaning of the marital act, unitive and procreative significance (HV 12). Regarding contraception, Humanae Vitae asserts that contraceptive methods are in substance a moral disorder. The condemnation of abortion and direct sterilization is appeared in HV 14. There follows immediately the judgment concerning acts which have as their end or which are means to making procreation impossible. The arguments of lesser evil, and the principle of totality cannot be invoked to justify such acts. However the principle of double effect can be used to justify the use of these means for therapeutic reasons as long as the contraceptive effect is not directly willed (HV 15).
Paul VI wishes to remain in harmony with the traditional position. His reason for allowing NFP hinges around an indirect/direct act framework. His reasoning is from that of the parity of meanings. Contraceptive intercourse is wrong because it is a direct act separated from the marital act which has as its purpose the destruction of a parity that is natural to the meaning of marital love.
NFP is abstention from the use of the marital act during fertile times. One is not doing anything. Even though this abstention may have the same distant intention as that of the contraceptive act, that there will be no conception of a child.
In the apostolic exhortation, Familiaris Consortio, 1981, (of family partnership), On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World, Pope John Paul II wrote this after the Synod to reiterate the doctrine of Humanae Vitae. He puts “the innate language that express the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to other” (FC 32). There are no objections can be found in the rhythm method. The spouses submit themselves entirely to God’s plan and to the demands of a total self-giving.
The Pope also states that during the time of abstinence the couple has share with Christ on the cross. “It is only through the cross that the family can attain the fullness of its being and the perfection of its love” (FC 84).
Once more, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical letter, Evangelium Vitae (the gospel of life), issued on March 25, 1995. He wrote that “it is frequently asserted that contraception, if made safe and available to all, is the most effective remedy against abortion. The Catholic Church is then accused of actually promoting abortion, because she obstinately continues to teach the moral unlawfulness of contraception. When looked at carefully, this objection is clearly unfounded. It may be that many people use contraception with the view to excluding the subsequent temptation of abortion. But the negative values inherent in the ‘contraceptive mentality’ are such that they in fact strengthen this temptation when an unwanted life is conceived” (EV 25).
Concerning the abstinence, in Evangelium Vitae we found that it could harm a marriage if it is done in a wrong reason; therefore it must be..
-Freedom, it is essential to the freedom of authentic conjugal love.
-Totality, it is a genuine love that the couple is giving to each other. They surrender totally to each other without fear.
-Fidelity, it is a raison d’être (reason for being).
-Openness to children, the bond of love that unites the Trinity becomes the very same bond that unites them.
The Catechism of the Church (CCC 2370) also restated what we have found in Humanae Vitae nos. 14-16 and Familiaris Consortio no. 32. The concept is that contraception is not open for life therefore it is intrinsically evil because it renders procreation impossible. But the Church does not regard Natural Family Planning a natural contraception but it is not contraception at all[13].
Lastly, I would like to present the Document of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Vademecum (go with me, handbook) for Confessors Concerning Some Aspects of the Morality of Conjugal Life. It, was issued on February 12, 1997, contained the importance of clear and certain guidelines to which the ministers of the sacraments of Reconciliation can refer in their dialogue with souls. The outline of this document can be laid as;
Introduction,
§ Aim of the document
§ Conjugal Chastity in the Doctrine of the Church
§ The Goods of Marriage and the Gift of Self
1.Holiness in Marriage
2.The Teaching of the Church on Responsible Procreation
3.Pastoral Guidelines for Confessors
Regarding contraception, we found in 2.4. that the Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception, that is, of every marital act intentionally rendered unfruitful. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. Contraception is gravely opposed to marital chastity; it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (procreative aspect), and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (unitive aspect); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of human life. (cf. HV 14; FC 32)
However, profoundly different from any contraceptive practice is the behavior of married couples, who, always remaining fundamentally open to the gift of life, live their intimacy only in the unfruitful period, when they are led to this course by serious motives of responsible parenthood. This is true both from the anthropological and moral points of view, because it is rooted in a different conception of the person and of sexuality. The witness of couples who for years have lived in harmony with the plan of the Creator, and who, for proportionately serious reasons, licitly use the methods rightly called “natural”, confirms that it is possible for spouses to life the demands of chastity and of married life with common accord and full self-giving. (Vademecum 2.6.)
On the part of the penitent, the sacrament of Reconciliation requires sincere sorrow, a formally complete accusation of mortal sins, and the resolution, with the help of God, not to fall into sin again. If the confessor considers it necessary to question the penitent about the objective evil of Contraception, he should do with discretion and respect. (Vademecum 3.7.)
Pastoral aspects
There are many questions can be raised toward the contraceptive method and the teaching of the Church. Natural method is the only method that is accepted by the Church. However there is a possibility which limited the effective of this way and may render the pregnancy. Some couples may have a feeling that it is not easy to be abstinent for a period of time. Therefore many couples decide to use other contraceptive methods. These are some questions concerning contraceptive use may be brought to discuss.
How can we prove that the teaching of the Church base on the biblical reference?
There is nowhere in the bible that say about “thou shall not use contraception” but it does say we are created in the image and likeness of God as male and female (Gen 1:27). It does say “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). Therefore any kind of act which is not open to life is unaccepted. Married acts of the couple must be open to life and be an expression of true love. In human and Christian perspective, sexual actuation is ordered only within marriage. Love is to live according to the image in which we’re made. Love is to give ourselves away freely, totally, faithfully, and fruitfully in imitation of Christ. Contracepted intercourse contradicts all of this[14].
What should be taught in order to promote Natural Family Planning (NFP)?
Couples who have been properly trained in modern methods of NFP can determine the fertile time of the wife’s cycle with 99 percent accuracy. If they have a just reason to avoid pregnancy, they choose to abstain from intercourse during that time. During the infertile phase of the cycle, if they so desire, they can choose to have intercourse without violating their marriage commitment in any way. The fact that pregnancy doesn’t result from these acts of intercourse is God’s doing, not theirs. Human dignity and the meaning of sexual intercourse dictate that the only acceptable birth control is self-control, abstinent.
According to the facts, we found that condom and the pills have been widely used. As the minister of the Church, what should we do in order to help them?
The messages in Vademecum have put some outlines for the confessor to help the penitents in the Sacrament of reconciliation. The confessors should be kind and patient. Many will not be able to live this fully, and we should appreciate the struggles they go through in attempting to do so. If they fail, we are to encourage them and help them. They still have a place in the Church, and we should allow and encourage them to make use of the sacraments. This, of course, requires that we treat them well in reconciliation if we want them to continue to come back, as the parents welcome their own children. One might think that the Catholic Church is out of touch with the needs of real people, or She is the prevailing contraceptive culture. Real people need the truth. Real people need to know the good news of our creation in the image of God and our all to love as Christ loves. The Catholic Church proposes this good news to the world.
Someone might perceive that there is no difference between the natural method and others.
First of all, we have to make clear that the Natural Family Planning is not regarded as one of the contraceptive method. Because there is no artificial means involve into the married acts. But there is the different between abortion and miscarriage, suicide and natural death. One might say that some kind of contraceptive is also abortive. Pope John Paul II said in L’Osservatore Romano, “Contraception is to be judged so profoundly unlawful as never to be, for any reason, justified. To think or to say the contrary is equal to maintaining that in human life, situations may arise in which it is lawful not to recognize God as God. The husband and wife are called to be procreative. If they have a good reason to avoid pregnancy, they are free to be non-procreative. But it is totally contradicted of the deepest essence of the sacrament of marriage to be anti-procreative.
Regarding the anti-HIV campaign, Condom is introduced to be used to have a safe sex. What should we say?
We have to be strong in the sense that not only the sex education should be render to the youth but also sexual morality and the meaning of love. The anti-HIV campaign is just to prevent from STDs but there is something much more than that. Today the dominant culture is trying to legitimate the separation between sex and love, love and fidelity, sexuality and procreation. This trivialization of sexuality is, in fact, the trivialization of the person, who is thus easily reduced to an object[15]. Sex education is not a duty of the school or the Public Health but rather the parents. It’s the duty of parents to be generous appropriate to responsible parenthood. (cf. CCC 2368)
Conclusion
The physicality of sexual intercourse bespeaks the unitive and procreative meanings essentially constitutive of man and woman. Since God has so constituted the symbolism of sexual intercourse along with the natural biorhythms of fertility to mediate the essential meanings of man and woman, the human person must always respect and never nullify the inseparable connection or correlation willed by God between the unitive and procreative values of the genital embrace.
Respect for the natural biorhythms of fertility entails respect for God who authors them as well as for the full humanity of the person of whom they are an integral dimension. Responsible parenthood is an imperative of spouses realized through a generous and prudent discernment process which synthesizes crucial factors that are interrelated and passion at the service of unitive and procreative values, and due regard for physical, economic, psychological and social conditions in harmony with the moral order established by God.
Natural Family Planning (NFP) implements responsible parenthood because spouses who use such a method adequately synthesize these crucial factors and choose to refrain from actualizing procreation during the infertile periods of the biorhythms themselves. Artificial contraception, on the other hand, is objectively grave and intrinsically disordered because spouses who use such a method inadequately contradict the procreative call of God mediated through the natural biorhythms of fertility.
I would like to end this article with the wonderful teaching of St. Paul that is “May we never do evil so that good may result” (Rom 3:8).
References
Catechism of the Catholic Church. (1997). New York: Doubleday
Dunn, H. P. (1997). The Doctor and Christian marriage. Makati: St. Pauls.
John Paul II. (1997). Theology of the Body: Human Love in the Divine Plan. Boston:
Pauline Books and Media.
Peschke, K. H. (2001). Christian Ethics. Manila: Logos Publications.
Pontifical Council for the Family. (2004). Enchiridion on the Family. Boston:
Pauline books and media.
West, C. (2004). Good News about Sex and Marriage. Ohio: St. Anthony Press.
Submitted by Vorasil RUEKSAWANG
School of Christian Studies, USJ, Macau
[1] Guttmacher Institute, Facts of American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html
[2] Social Development Division, Population and Development Indicators for Asia and the Pacific in 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/database/data_sheet/2009/Datasheet%202009.pdf
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[6] A pessary is a small plastic or silicone medical device which is inserted into the vagina or rectum and held in place by the pelvic floor musculature.
[7] Deshpande VY, Mendulkar KN, Sadre NL (July 1980). Male antifertility activity of Azadirachta Indica in mice. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine 26 (3): 167–70. Retrieved on April 29, 2010, from http://www.en.wikipedia.com.
[8] J.Trussell, (2007). Contraceptive Efficacy. in Hatcher, Robert A., et al.. Contraceptive Technology (19th rev. ed.). New York: Ardent Media.
[9] Feminist Women’s Health Center, Female sterilization. Retrieved on April 30, 2010, from http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/tubalig.htm
[10] Dorland’s Medical for Healthcare Consumers, intrauterine device. Retrieved on April 30, 2010, from http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands_split.jsp?pg=/ppdocs/us/common/dorlands/dorland/nine/220000023.htm
[11] Safe Period Calculator, Natural Family Planning. Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from http://www.safeperiodcalculator.com/index.php
[12] University Health Center. (2004). Contraceptive Skin Patch. Oregon. p. 66-71
[13]Christopher West, (2004), Good News about Sex and Marriage. Ohio: St. Anthony Press. p. 115
[14] Christopher West, (2004), Good News about Sex and Marriage. Ohio: St. Anthony Press. p112.
[15] Faust Gomez, (2009), HIV/AIDS Ethical Perspective, A pilgrim’s Notes. Manila: UST Publishing. p 309.
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